Several variants of an electronic watch have already been proposed in the past, particularly for providing information as to the direction of a determined geographical location or other types of information. It is for example known to provide such information relating to the direction of a pre-programmed geographical place, such as Mecca. In order to do this, it may be possible, first of all, to select or programme in the watch the geographical place where the watch user is located. A compass may also be provided in the watch to provide an indication of magnetic or geographical North in order to allow the watch to provide an indication using at least one hand in the direction, for example, of Mecca (Kaaba).
European Patent No. EP 0 713 162, which discloses an electronic watch, fitted with an electronic compass, can be cited in this regard. This compass is formed of a permanent magnet, mounted so as to rotate freely on an arbour in a frame, and first and second sensors for the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet. These two sensors are able to provide first and second detection signals to an electronic processing unit to enable said unit to calculate the direction of the magnetic axis of the magnet, which corresponds to terrestrial magnetic North. This electronic processing unit controls at least one electric motor driving the hands to allow the display with at least one time indication hand, of the direction of a pre-programmed geographical place, for example Mecca.
In a compass mode, selected by the action of one among several manual control members of the watch, the direction of magnetic North can also be continuously indicated by at least one of the hands. A correction of the orientation of North relative to the geographical place (magnetic declination) where the user of the watch is located can be programmed in a data storage unit by the user so as to allow the watch to calculate the correct direction of geographical North.
In a mode for setting the geographical place where the watch user is located, the minute hand can be moved, first of all, in a first direction of rotation, to select a magnetic azimuth as a function of the place occupied. The magnetic declination of the place occupied is then introduced in order to convert the magnetic azimuth into a geographical azimuth using the control members. When driven in a second direction of rotation, the minute hand can also select a town or a region or a country, or an angular indication, which are shown on an LCD type screen.
European Patent Application No. EP 1 701 229 also discloses an electronic watch with a compass function of a similar type to the electronic watch of EP 0 713 162. However, a third time indicating hand indicates the direction of a pre-programmed geographical place, such as Mecca, while the other two hands indicate the direction of magnetic or geographical North.
In most known electronic watches, such as those cited above, which include an electronic compass and means for indicating, via hands, the direction of Mecca, or the direction of magnetic or geographical North, many programming or selection manipulations are necessary. Consequently, this makes it difficult for any user of such an electronic watch to remember easily all of the necessary programming or selection manipulations, which constitutes a drawback. Moreover, some confusion may arise as to which selected mode, between the time mode, the direction mode or the compass mode, is actually being displayed by the hands.